PennFuture, a statewide environmental advocacy group, has opened an office in downtown Wilkes-Barre, its sixth in the Commonwealth.
Founded in 1998 and formally named Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future, PennFuture also has offices in Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, West Chester and Doylestown.
Pam Fendrock, who is staffing the one-person office, has been with the group on a part-time basis since July 2007. “During that year, we found more and more interest in the kind of work we do and more and more need for the kind of work we do,” she says. “So we decided to create an office here in the northeast. We have for years done work here, we are not new to the area, but having a physical presence is new.”
Although Fendrock is currently the only full-time staffer, she plans to cull interns from local colleges and universities, where much of the organization’s energy is already focused. PennFuture hosted a daylong conference on global warming in May at the University of Scranton, and another is planned for spring 2009.
“There is also more and more interest in issues relating to the Marcellus Shale and natural gas drilling,” Fendrock says. “And we foresee more interest in that moving forward. Our concern is in how the drilling might effect water supply and water-related issues, and we want to make sure that it is done in a way that does not harm the water supply.”
PennFuture will host an open house at its new Wilkes-Barre office on Thursday, Dec. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Source: PennFuture, Pam Fendrock
Writer: John Davidson
To receive Keystone Edge free every week, click here.